PCL1 Omaha Storm Chasers

Two Hansen homers not enough for win

Published on May 30, 2004 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release


OMAHA – Two solo home runs by Jed Hansen weren't quite enough to help give Omaha a win on Sunday, as the Royals were edged 5-4 by New Orleans at Rosenblatt Stadium.

The first of Hansen's three hits off Zephyrs knuckleballer Jared Fernandez (2-2) came in the bottom of the first and tied the game at 1-all. The Z's had drawn first blood when Eric Bruntlett led off the contest with a home run off Kris Wilson. The 27-year old right-hander wound up losing his sixth consecutive decision to fall to 2-7, becoming the first PCL pitcher to reach seven losses. He also surrendered a solo homer to Ryan Thompson for New Orleans' final run in the sixth, upping Wilson's league-leading home run allowed total to 22.

Hansen's second solo shot came with two outs in the bottom of the third and gave the Royals a 2-1 lead. But, the Zephyrs tied the game on Jason Alfaro's RBI single with two outs in the fourth. New Orleans broke the tie with two more runs in the fifth. Kyle Logan's speed led to the second run when he beat out a potential double play grounder, stole second base and then scored on Bruntlett's RBI single.

After Thompson's homer in the top of the sixth stretched New Orleans' lead to 5-2, David DeJesus took a Fernandez knuckler over the right field wall for his first home run of the season. His homer leading off the bottom of the sixth made it 5-3. And Gookie Dawkins chased Fernandez with two away in the seventh, lacing an RBI double into the gap in right-center to pull Omaha within a run. Before leaving, Fernandez was aided by three double plays hit into by the Royals in the middle three innings.

New Orleans relievers Tony Fiore, Shaun Babula and Kirk Bullinger combined for two-and-a-third scoreless innings. Bullinger retired all four Royals he faced, notching his eleventh save. Royals reliever D.J. Carrasco fired three shutout stanzas to keep the game close at the end.

New Orleans (24-27) improves to 10-9 in one-run decisions, while Omaha (21-30) is 3-3 in those games. The Royals are now just 5-14 in day games (16-16 at night).

The series finale is Monday at 6:05 p.m.: Astros #1 prospect, RH Taylor Buchholz (2-6, 7.88) vs. Royals RH Jamey Wright (6-3, 3.53). The pre-game show airs at 5:45 p.m. on Fox Sports Radio 1490 and at www.Oroyals.com. A Memorial Day Fireworks display follows the game.

Check out the Omaha Storm Chasers Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Pacific Coast League Stories from May 30, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central